Loom harness



Jan. 20, 1953 J. J. KAUFMANN LOOM HARNESS Filed May 24, 1949 FIG.2

FIG. L

INVENTOR. JOHN J. KAUFMANN.

ATTORNEY.

Patented Jan. 20, 1953 LOOM HARNESS John J. Kaufmann, Elkins Park, Pa., assignor to Steel Heddle Manufacturing Company, Philadelphla, Pa., a corporation of Pennsylvania Application May 24, 1949, Serial N0. 94,957

This invention relates to loom harness and it relates more particularly to the construction and arrangement of the frames used for supporting the heddles which separate the warp ends in successive sheds for the passage of the shuttle therebetween to efi'ect the weaving operation.

Heretofore most of the frames used in looms for supporting the heddles were made with top and bottom rails or shafts of wood connected at their ends by side struts usually made of fiat metal strips secured to the ends of the topand bottom rails or shafts.

By reason of the present availability of light metal alloys of aluminum and the like it has been suggested to substitute, for the top and bottom rails or shafts made of wood, rails or shafts made of light metal alloys which are extruded through dies in the desired shape in cross-section. However, such rails or shafts are usually made hollow and certain difficulties have arisen in the use of such metallic rails or shafts, principally in connection with the means for attaching the actuating cords or straps thereto, and also in connection with the means for supporting the heddle rods in the frame intermediate the ends thereof.

The principal object of the present invention is to provide a novel and efficient form of heddle frame in which the top and bottom rails or shafts may be made of extruded hollow metal shapes, and which frame is so constructed and arranged as to provide improved means for mounting the hooks or other attaching devices to which the cords or straps for actuating the frames may be connected, and also to provide improved means for supporting the heddle rods intermediate the ends thereof.

A further object of the invention is to provide I a loom harness frame, of the character aforesaid, in which the heddles mounted on the supporting rods may have complete freedom to move from one end to the other of the frame, so that the entering of the warp may be done by means of automatic drawing-in machines.

The nature and characteristic features of the invention will be more readily understood from the following description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawing forming part hereof, in which:

Figure 1 is a front elevation of a loom harness frame embodying the main features of the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a transverse vertical section of a portion thereof, enlarged, taken on the line 22 of Fig. 1; and

7 Claims. (01. 13992) Fig. 3 is a fragmentary perspective view of certain of the parts of the harness frame, the same being shown in separated relationship to more clearly illustrate the invention.

It should, of course, be understood that the description and drawing herein are illustrative merely, and that various modifications and changes may be made in the structure disclosed without departing from the spirit of the invention.

Referring to the drawing, the top and bottom rails or shafts ID of the frame are connected at their ends by means of side struts I l. The side struts ll may be, and preferably are, made of wood, whereas the top and bottom rails or shafts I0 are made of extruded metal shapes, preferably hollow, whereby they are provided with relatively thin side walls l2 and outer and inner marginal portions I 3 and I4, each somewhat thicker than the side walls [2.

The outer marginal portion l3 of each of the top and bottom rails I0 is provided with a relatively shallow V-shaped groove 30 extending from end to end of the rail l0, exteriorly disposed, so that there is thus provided a drill point guide for drilling through the portion [3 at any re quired location in the length thereof where it may be desired to mount a hook l5 for connecting the actuating cords or straps (not shown), which are used for raising and lowering the frame in the loom in the usual and customary manner.

Extending inwardly from the inner marginal portion M of each rail'or shaft l0, toward the center of the frame, is a longitudinal flange it, one face of which is preferably flush with one of the side faces of the main or body portion of the rail, and on the other face of which flange Hi there is preferably provided a longitudinal rib l1 spaced from the inner marginal edge of the flange l6, as shown in Figs. 2 and 3 of the drawll'lg.

A bar or rod l8 for supporting slide hooks, as hereinafter set forth, is secured to each rib I 1 by means of rivets, or other suitable fastening devices, at desired locations in the length of the frame. The bars or rods I 8 are preferably made of harder metal, such as steel, and the same are of a width somewhat greater than the width of the rib I! carried by the flange I6 which extends inwardly from the rail l0.

Each bar or rod l8 serves to support a series of hook members l9, slidably mounted thereon, and retained by means of lip portions 20 and 2| which are disposed within the spaces provided by the rib l1 and located between the internal face of the flange l6 and the bar or rod H3.

The slide hooks I9 are provided with inwardly extending hook portions 22 in which the heddle supporting rods 23 are supported intermediate their ends. The heddles 25 are slidably mounted on the rods 23 in the usual manner.

The ends of the heddle rods 23 are preferably positioned in recesses or slots 24 in the side struts ll and are normally retained therein by means of spring hook members 25 which may be of any preferred type as, for instance, those shown in my previous application for Letters Patent filed April 17, 1947, Serial No. 741,972, now Patent No. 2,560,512, whereby the heddle rods may be quickly and conveniently detached at either end from the frame for the purpose of adding or removing heddles, either for the replacement of broken heddles, or for increasing or decreasing the count of the warp ends in the cloth to be woven.

It will be noted that'by the foregoing arrangement ordinary heddles, of the type made of thin fiat metal or wire slotted and swaged at the several locations where the mortises 21 are located for mounting the heddles on the supporting rods 23, as well as where the warp eyes 28' intermediate the ends of the heddles 215 are located, may be used in installations in which the warp is entered by automatic drawing-in machines. Of course, other types or styles of heddles may be employed if desired in frames made in accordance with this invention.

I claim:

1'. A loom harness frame comprising hollow metallic top and bottom rails connected at their ends by side struts, each of said rails having a flange portion extending inwardly toward the center of the frame, a bar carried by each of said flanges in spaced relationship therewith, slide hooks mounted on said bars, heddle rods supported intermediate their ends by said hooks, and heddles mounted on said rods.

2. A loom harness frame comprising hollow metallic top and bottom rails connected at their ends by side struts, each of said rails having a flange portion extending inwardly toward the center of the frame and having one face substantially flush with one of the side faces of the main body portion of the rail, a bar mounted on the other face of each flange in spaced: relationship therewith, slide hooks mountedon said bars, heddle rods supported intermediate their ends by said hooks, and'heddles mounted on said rods.

3. A loom harness frame comprising hollow metallic top and bottom rails connectedat their ends by side struts, each of said rails having a flange portion extending inwardly toward the center of the frame and having one face substantially flush with one of the side faces of the main or body portion of the rail, a bar mounted on the other face of each flange in spaced relationship therewith, slide hooks mounted on said bars and each having an open side whereby said hooks may be freely moved on said bars from end to end of the frame, heddle rods sup ported intermediate their ends by said hooks, and heddles mounted on said rods.

4. A loom harness frame comprising hollow metallic top and bottom rails connected at their ends by side struts, each of said rails having a flange portion extending inwardly toward the center of the frame and having one face substantially flush with one of the side faces of the main or body portion of the rail, and a rib formed on the other face of each flange, bars secured to said ribs, slide hooks mounted on said bars, heddle rods supported intermediate their ends by said hooks, andheddles mounted on said rods.

5. A loom harness frame comprising hollow metallic top and bottom rails connected at their ends by side struts, each of said rails having a flange portion extending inwardly toward the center of the frame and having one face substantially flush with one of the side faces of the main or body portion of the rail, and a rib formed on the other face of each flange, bars secured to said ribs, slide hooks mounted on said bars and each having an open side whereby said hooks may be freely moved on said bars from end to end of the frame, heddle rods supported intermediate their ends by said hooks, and heddles mounted on said rods.

6. A loom harness frame including hollow metallic top and bottom rails at least one marginal edge portion of each rail having a centrally disposed relatively shallow and substantially vshaped groove therein extending from end to end of said rail serving as a drill point guide at any desired longitudinal location where an attachment is to be secured to the rail.

7'. A loom harness frame comprising hollow metallic top and bottom rails connected at their ends by side struts, each of said rails having a flange portion extending inwardly toward the center of the frame and having one face substantially flush with one of the side faces of the main or body portion of the rail, and a rib formed on the other face of each flange, bars secured to said ribs, slide hooks mounted on said bars, each of said slide hooks having lips extending over and partly around the bar, heddle rods supported intermediate their ends by said hooks, and heddles mounted on said rods.

JOHN J. KAUFMANN.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,434,189 Bennett s Oct. 31,1922 1,866,908 Robertson July 12, 1932 2,482,149 Blickenstorfer Sept. 20, 1949 2,601,873 Kaufmann- July 1, 1952 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 517,071 Great Britain Jan. 19, 1940 846,983- Franc'e June 19, 1939 

